My father-in law used to take me and my wife shooting every summer. he had rifles, a 22 and a gleaming silver 45. It's a great hobby, and one I would feel safe teaching my own kids when they are old enough with the proviso that they learn gun safety. I do believe the safest cities statistically are the ones where citizens can carry guns, not just the criminals.

When I was in High School in Israel we did Gadna and had to shoot an M16. We were lying flat in wooden bunker type thing with a very low ceiling. I was the first to shoot and the first to finish - basically. I have no idea what I hit, all I know is the shell casing (I think that's why it was) flew upwards and bounced off the wooden ceiling above my head and I got burned. Thus, why I finished so quickly. NERVES and PAIN.

Has anyone found those earplugs to be of any real help while shooting? I tried them once; I found they didn't really do much for the noise, but they certainly prevented me from hearing people. If anything, I'd say they were more effective at blocking speech than gunshots.

After that, I went back to either proper shooting ear protectors, or just nothing (not regularly, but when I learned to shoot, I was taught to always fire a few rounds at the end with nothing on my ears, just so I should remember what the real sound is (and not get too startled one day...))

I don't know what the costs are here in Israel, but it's true; the NY area is _very_ expensive.

OTOH, for handguns at least, there are often ways to cut the cost. A .357 revolver will happily shoot 38 ammo (added "bonus": less recoil / noise), and you can buy conversion kits for many .45s that let them shoot 22s. It's also good for teaching / learning; many people are initially very scared and put off by the loud bang and hard recoil of a larger cartridge; combining a full size 1911 with a tiny round like a 22 helps ease someone into shooting.

It's nice to see the kids out shooting and learning firearm safety!I use earplugs whenever I don't have hearing protectors - practicing without them, even a few shots at the end, will quickly lead to deafness and sexy hearing aids - you should see the old guys who used to be in artillery...Hats help keep hot brass of the skin and make kids happy. IMO outdoor ranges are nicer than indoors since the noise can travel away faster - but it's also nice to have some shade from the hot, direct sun and a soft-surface like fabric reflects less sound than a hard surface. :-)